


Strings Attached

by macaronize



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, DJWifi, F/M, Julerose - Freeform, Red String of Fate, Soulmate AU, and everything goes to shit, and i mean angsty af, chlonath, everyone oblivious, get ready for a mess of dramatic irony, marinette can see the strings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-09-29 22:43:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10146266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/macaronize/pseuds/macaronize
Summary: Marinette could see the red strings of fate holding people together, but no one was allowed to know that.  That fact didn't stop her from using her knowledge to nudge soulmates together.  Of course, this led to her getting a reputation as the class matchmaker, which isn't an issue until her soulmate, Adrien Agreste, asks her to set him up with another mystery girl (Ladybug.)





	1. Romeo and Juliet

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I've had this idea for a while, but I finally had the chance to write it. This is my first multichap fic, so we'll see how this goes.

They say everyone is born with a soulmate, a person who they are tied to with an invisible string that binds the two people together.  They also say that a small percentage of the human population could even see the strings,  though it's such small amount that most believe such seers to be nothing more than a myth or  scam artists who tell people who their "soulmates" are just to take their money. 

Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a seer.  She walks through life with a constant mess of red strings in her view binding everyone around her to their soulmates.  She can't remember when she got this ability.  She's had it for as long as she can remember,  however her parents love recounting the story of how they found out. 

* * *

She was no more than two years old sitting in a high chair eating cheerios from the tray in front of her.  Her parents bustling around the kitchen getting ready to open the bakery for the morning.  Baby Marinette suddenly got very interested in the space between Tom and Sabine.  Her head was tilted to the side with a concerned expression on her face. 

Tom was the first to notice his daughter's drastic change of behavior.  He stopped his work of kneading the bread dough, "What's wrong, Marinette?" 

"You're stuck!" the toddler answered. 

Tom and Sabine shared concerned looks of their own, not knowing what that could mean.  Tom moved a few feet to find that nothing was attached to him. 

"Mama! Papa!" Marinette cried when she got no verbal response, "You're stuck!" 

"What do you mean, sweetie?" Sabine replied gently, "We're not stuck.  We're fine." 

Marinette sighed dramatically, "Yes, you are! Someone tied a red string to you!" 

Tom and Sabine's eyes widened in shock.  That couldn't be possible.  Their daughter couldn't see the strings of fate.  It was debatable if anyone could at all. 

"Marinette," Sabine picked her up out of her high chair, "Are we the only ones who are stuck?" 

"No, everyone is.  Even me," she said as if the answer was obvious, "How do I get unstuck?" 

Then, Tom and Sabine had to give their daughter the "Soulmate Talk" which most parents didn't have to worry about until their children reached about 12. They had to explain that it is believed that everyone has a soulmate, or a person they are meant to be with that is attached to them by a string. They had to explain that no one could know that she could see the strings, because they won't understand her.  Thus, Marinette has been stuck keeping a huge secret since the age of 2. 

Marinette liked the idea of having a soulmate.  She loved imagining what her soulmate was like and scenarios in which they would meet, but for a long time, all she could do was imagine.   The only thing she could find out about her soulmate from her string was that they seemed to live to the west of the bakery.  She didn't even know how far west!  They could live on the other side of the world for all she knew.  

As the years went by, Marinette got more and more impatient; she was beginning to think she would never meet them.  Often throughout her childhood she would find herself tracing the red strings around with her eyes instead of paying attention in class.  Juleka to Rose. Ivan to Mylene. Chloe to Nathanael (though, she never understood how that could work out.)  She was terribly jealous that a majority of her classmates have already met their soulmates.  If only the string were actually tangible. Then, she could just grab her string and pull until her soulmate was with her. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, so Marinette decided to make it her mission to help everyone around her to get with their soulmates. 

By the time she reached her teenage years, Marinette had become the matchmaker of Collège Françoise Dupont.  She never made a wrong match.  No one understood how that was possible, and whenever they asked she would just laugh.  They'd never be in on the joke.  

Marinette was 15 when she finally met her soulmate, though that wasn't even the most eventful thing to happen that day. It was also the day she became Ladybug, thus becoming burdened with yet another huge secret.  Not that she would call being Ladybug a burden. She loved helping people, but lying has always been her least favorite activity and keeping secrets often means lying to keep them.   

She even lied to her soulmate. (Well, it's technically lying by omission.)  She found Adrien Agreste was her soulmate on the second day of school and she still hasn't told him.  She just wasn't sure how to do it, and being that she could hardly speak a full sentence in front of him, she doubted she would be able to even if she tried.  No one else she knew had this problem.  She wished she could be blissfully unaware that the person she was meant to be with forever was always sitting right in front of her like Alya was.  Then, maybe she could sit in class without always feeling like she could spontaneously combust. 

It would also make being around Chat Noir a bit easier.  She had a feeling he liked her, but he's not her soulmate, so she always turned him down when he flirted.  Well, he could be her soulmate for all she knew, Tikki told her that their miraculous block her from seeing both his and her own string while transformed, but the thought of Adrien and Chat Noir being the same person was laughable to say the least.  She didn't find any use in thinking about it. 

"So, even though Romeo and Juliet were soulmates, they were unable to work it out due to miscommunication," miss bustier continued her lecture. 

Rose raised her hand, "But isn't the whole point of soulmates to end up together?" 

"They did end up together. 6 feet underground," Alix laughed. 

Kim high fived her. Soulmates. 

Rose looked horrified, "That's not what I meant." 

"Now, Rose, Alix, blunt as she is, did just sum up what Shakespeare was trying to prove," Miss Bustier took control of the class, "Sometimes fate isn't so straight forward.  Meeting your soulmate does not always guarantee a happy ending.  When, you do meet your soulmate you won't know how much time you have with them.  Unfortunately for Romeo and Juliet, those three days were all they had." 

"But how do you know when you meet your soulmate?" Nathanael asked. 

"Well, you can't really know for sure," Miss Bustier replied, "that is unless you're lucky enough to see the strings of fate." 

"But there's no proof that anyone can do that at all," Max informed. 

Marinette had to refrain from rolling her eyes. 

The bell rang signaling the end of the day. 

"Well, that was cheery lesson," Nino remarked as he put away his books. 

"Welcome to reality," Alya shrugged, "Everything's not so sunshine and rainbows.  That's exactly why I don't care about soulmates." And that's exactly why Marinette had such a hard time getting Alya and Nino together.  It's so frustrating. 

Adrien looked at her confused, "You don't?" 

"No way, why should I let some weird outside force decide who I belong with? 

"I don't know it kind of makes things easier doesn't it?" Nino said. 

Alya rolled her eyes, "but why can't I make that choice for myself?  Why should I care who fate thinks I belong with?" 

"Because maybe fate knows better!"  Marinette couldn't stop herself from shouting. Her friend's looked at her in shock, "I-I mean--uh--sorry. I shouldn't have yelled." 

"Someone feels very strongly about soulmates," Alya raised an eyebrow suspiciously. 

"Uh, the ending of Romeo and Juliet just really pisses me off?" Marinette replied not at all convincingly. 

Alya laughed, "You're such a hopeless romantic."  It was hard not to be when the strings of romance are constantly in your sight. 

"Well, at least she's not as bad as Adrien over here," Nino laughed, "the boy hardly ever talks about anything else." 

"And who has caught the heart of _the_ Adrien Agreste?" Alya smirked. 

Adrien looked away, a blush tinting his cheeks. 

"Don't mind him.  He won't even tell me who it is," Nino said. 

"I told you, you would only laugh if you knew," Adrien sighed. 

"Aw, has little Adrikins found his soulmate?" Alya cooed and mockingly pinched the blonde's cheeks. 

Adrien sighed, "God, I hope so." 

Marinette resented how much that hurt.


	2. Matchmaker, Make Me a Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after talking about soulmates with Chat, Adrien asks Marinette for help wooing a mystery girl. What a coincidence!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 2!  
> I want to thank everyone for all the feedback on the last chapter. It really means a lot! <3

"Pound it," the two masked heroes of Paris said after the latest Akuma had been purified. The fight wasn't difficult. Neither of them had to use their abilities, though they both wished hawkmoth would've kept his Akumatizing for before midnight. The Akuma, "Road Rage," was more of a nuisance than a threat. All he did was making annoying honking noises. Hawkmoth seemed to be running out of ideas.

Since neither had used their abilities, Ladybug and Chat Noir were in no rush to part after the attack, despite the fact that it was late night. Marinette always liked these moments the best, but she would never admit that to Chat.

"Purrfect as always, My Lady," he smiled.

Ladybug ruffled hair, deciding to ignore the cringe worthy pun, "You didn't do so bad yourself, Kitty. Besides, I think that was our easiest fight yet."

"Well, we do seem to fight well together," he leaned into her hand, "but that's just because we're made fur each other."

She scoffed, but continued scratching behind his ear, "I don't know about that…" but she truly didn’t. She could never really know who his soulmate was while he's transformed.

"But, don't you believe in soulmates, My Lady?" He pulled away, so he could look into her eyes.

"Of course," she replied honestly, though soulmates weren't really something to believe in for her. They were just a fact of life.

"Do you think you've met yours yet?"

She wasn't sure what to say. She knew her soulmate was Adrien, even if she couldn't see their connecting string right now, but she couldn't seem too sure or she'd give away her oldest secret, "Um, I think so…"

"How can you tell?"

_Oh, you know, I can see the string that connects us, so that probably helps._

"Um, I don't know," she sat on the rooftop, dangling her feet off the edge, "I just can."

"Do I know them?"

"I don't believe you've ever formally met…no," Chat probably does know who Adrien is being that he's a famous model and all, but saying that would give too much away.

"Well, whoever they are," Chat sat next to her, looking more heartbroken than she would've liked, "they must be the luckiest person alive."

_More like the other way around_ , she thought.

* * *

"Marinette," a small voice woke her up, "Marinette! You're going to be late."

She woke up with a start, "What time is it, Tikki?!"

"7:50."

"Ah! I'm late!" she then set the world record for least time taken to get ready. Sure, one pigtail was higher than the other and her socks didn't match, but she'd call it a victory as she ran out the door a minute later with half a croissant stuffed in her mouth for breakfast. She didn't even want to know how tired she looked. She didn't even have time to conceal her eyebags. Stupid late night Akuma.

"Just ask Marinette," Rose said as the girl mentioned walked in the room, "She's kind of the class matchmaker."

"Ask me wha--A-Adrien! Hi!" Marinette's curiosity was replaced with nerves as she realized it was her soulmate that Rose was talking to.

"Hi, Marinette," Adrien smiled bashfully, "We were just talking about you."

"O-oh, really?" She blushed, mentally cursing that her soulmate would talk to her on the one day she doesn't wear makeup, "D-did you have to something me ask--A-ask me something?" Why was talking to him so hard?

Suddenly, Adrien was blushing. This was new…

"Oh, no. It's nothing really…"

"Model boy here wants to find his soulmate," Alix chimed in.

Marinette squeaked. _Holy shit! My soulmate wants me to set him up with his soulmate. But I'M his soulmate. What do I do? What do I do?_

"SOULMATE?" She said louder than she intended to, "I'm not sure I believe in all that."

"But, Marinette you're always gushing about soulmates," Rose replied innocently.

"You did your final project on them just last year," Juleka chimed in.

_Seriously_ , Marinette thought, _after all I do for them getting them with their soulmates and this is how they repay me._

Marinette was red as a tomato at this point, "B-but there's not really… concrete proof of an any of that! Sure, it's a great concept hypothetically but I don't know if--"

The bell rang, and everyone had to go to their seats . Saved by the Bell.

Marinette was still red as Ladybug's suit as she sat down next to Alya. Her best friend was trying (and failing) to hold in her laughter. She didn't even know the half of it.

Sometimes she wished she could tell people about her ability, but she realizes the concerns. People would either think she's crazy or never stop pestering her about their soulmates. The second one wouldn't be so bad. She loved bringing soulmates together, but it's one thing doing that by choice. Having people asking her to constantly was whole different issue. Nobody needs to know.

Class went by in a blur. Marinette had to put all her energy into staying awake (and not dying of embarrassment from the morning's events.) She hardly registered the bell dismissing them for lunch.

"Hello!" Alya waved a hand in front of her face, "Earth to Marinette! You hungry, or what?"

"It's lunchtime already?" Marinette snapped out of her thoughts.

Alya laughed, "Yeah, what's going on with you today?"

"I guess I'm just out of it," Marinette sigh, "I was up late finishing this design last night."

"Girl, how many times have I told you? Your designs can wait until morning," Alya grumbled.

"You don't understand, Al," Nino chimed in, "Creative genius just can't wait!"

Alya rolled her eyes. Operation DJWifi has been Marinette's hardest set up yet. She knew they both liked each other, but neither of them would admit it. Sometimes she just wanted to scream, "YOU'RE SOULMATES! JUST MAKE OUT ALREADY!," but she had self control (thankfully.)

Wait, why is Nino still in the room? Everyone else left. With a moment of more observation, Marinette noticed Adrien was waiting as well. Oh no!

"Oh, yeah, Mari? Adrien and Nino wanted to eat lunch with us today," Alya informed, "That's okay right?"

_You couldn't have told me earlier?_

"S-sure that's fine."

"Great!" Nino exclaimed, "How does a picnic in the park sound?"

Marinette didn't have any time to protest before she was being dragged away by Alya.

"So Agreste," Alya went into reporter mode the second she sat down on the blue checkered blanket Nino brought for the picnic., "What's with the sudden interest in soulmates this morning?"

"Oh, you know," He trailed off for a moment, "This whole Romeo and Juliet thing has got me thinking. You never really know how much time you have with your soulmate, so the earlier you find them..."

"Isn't the whole point of this fate stuff to only happen 'when the time is right,'" Alya interjected, "Not that I believe in that anyway."

"Yeah, but I just find this stuff really fascinating," Adrien said

"Yeah, that stuff is crazy," Nino said, "You know, they say some people could even see who your soulmate is."

Marinette's eyes widened. This conversation was getting too close to home.

Alya laughed, "If I didn't know better, it almost seems like Marinette can see the strings with all the happy couples she's brought together."

_Oh shit!_

She scoffed, "Yeah, right. Like that could ever happen. I-I just have very good judgment on compatibility…I guess..."

_Very convincing, Marinette_ , she thought sarcastically.

"Do you ever think about who your soulmate is, Marinette?" Adrien asked innocently, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Of course! Who doesn't?" She answered. Of course, she knew who her soulmate was, and he happened to be the one asking. Not that he actually knew that his soulmate was sitting right across from him. She still hasn’t thought of a good way to tell him. Why did everything have to be so complicated? "Y-you've been thinking about yours, haven't you?"

He blushed and looked away, "Maybe..."

"Who's the lucky soulmate, dude?" Nino asked.

_There's no way he guessed I'm his soulmate.  I can barely say a sentence around him. Oh god he's falling for someone else, isn't he! Oh my god, I don't want to hear this._

"You probably don't know her," Adrien said still flustered.

Marinette tried her hardest not to let her disappointment to show on her face.

"God, I'm so sick of all this soulmate talk!" Alya, being the most amazing best friend ever, changed the subject, "So, what did you think about that history test, 'cause I definitely failed."

"I don't wanna talk about it," Nino sighed.

Marinette was all too grateful for the change of subject, but the day wasn't over yet. Adrien came up to her after school.

"Uh, Marinette," he rubbed his neck bash fully, "Can I ask you something?"

"S-sure, Adrien."

He looked around to make sure they were the only ones left in the classroom, "Well, you see. I like this girl, but I don't think she really notices me at least not in a romantic way, and I want her to see me in a romantic way, so I asked around and everyone says that you are really good at getting people together. Sorry, I'm rambling. Can you help me?"

Oh, boy.

"Um, well, in order to do that I would have to know who this girl is," she said mentally patting herself on the back to celebrate a full sentence without stuttering, "I mean--d-don't tell me if it makes you uncomfortable. I just-uh-usually talk to both people involved."

He blushed, "Oh, well, I'd prefer if it stayed anonymous."

Marinette's eyes narrowed, "Okay..." she went back to collecting her things.

"But can you at least help me woo her?"

"Woo her?" She giggled.

"I just--I mean if I could just find a way to get her to like me--"

She shook her head, "Well, you can't really force a girl to like you, Adrien."

"That's not what I meant," he frowned, "I just don't think she knows I really like her."

Marinette felt bad for trying to dodge helping Adrien, but she just couldnt set her soulmate up with someone else. She also didnt even know if her matchmaking skills worked on non-soulmates. Though, seeing Adrien upset broke her heart more than the idea of never being with him, and she just said herself, you can't force someone to like you.

"O-Okay, I'll help," she said.

His face instantly lit up, "Really? So, what should I do?"

"Well, have you tried telling her, maybe? How you feel, I mean," she found herself immediately switch into matchmaker mode. She's done this so many times, the process was pretty much automatic.

He seemed momentarily taken about at her change of demeanor, "Uh-Well, I tell her everytime I see her, but I think she thinks I'm joking."

"Hmmm...well, maybe try telling her in a different way. Maybe tone it down a bit so she gets that you're not joking."

"Okay, yeah, I can try that. Thank you so much, Marinette!" He rushed off.

She laughed awkwardly, "N-no problem."

She stood there for a moment thinking of strategies to successfully make this match. Then, she remembered who she was setting up.

_Wait, did I just agree to that? _She thought.__

Oh, what a situation she's gotten herself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, poor Marinette.
> 
> I'm also on Tumblr  
> Macaronize.tumblr.com  
> And on my ML sideblog plaggplz.tumblr.com


	3. A Sad Kitty and Flirting Strategy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug notices her partner is acting strange and wonders if something is wrong, Adrien doesn't get why Marinette's advice isn't working, and Marinette somehow finds a way that this situation could hurt her even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while, but I just finished up high school, so now i have tons of free time (and an actual plan for where this fic is going)
> 
> Enjoy!

Ladybug touched down on the roof of her and Chat's usual patrol spot. She was shocked to find it empty. Chat always got there before her. He'd been acting strange lately. Much more serious and calm than the kitty she's known and loved for the past year (even if it wasn't in the way he wanted her to love him.) She hadn't heard a cheesy pun or pick up line in days. Maybe he's sick. Or upset. Maybe things weren't going so well at home? He' d always alluded to his unhappy home life...

Well, whatever it was, she wanted to do anything in her power as his partner and friend to get him back to being himself.

  
"Hello, Ladybug." That was another thing. He stopped calling her "My Lady." What's going on? 

"Hey, Kitty," she smiled, "how are you today?" 

"Oh, just great!" 

She raised an eyebrow, "Really? Are you sure?" 

"Yes?" He tilted his head as actual cats do when they're confused. 

"It's just that you've been acting really strange lately." 

"Okay..." 

"I mean, you haven't said a cheesy cat pun in days! I'm starting to be concerned for your health!" 

"I promise you I am perfectly healthy, My—Ladybug. I didn't know you liked my cat puns so much!" 

"I didn't know either," she laughed to herself, "Look, Chat, I know we don't talk much about our civilian lives because of identity issues, but if anything is going on that is maybe making you upset or not yourself, please talk to me. I wouldn't feel like a good partner if you didn't think you could confide in me."

He looked at her with an unreadable expression, "Okay. Good to know."

"Alright, now that we've got that squared away, race you to Notre Dame!" she got up and ran.

Of course, he followed.

 

"Marinette, we need to talk," Adrien said as soon as he saw her the next morning.

She jumped. She was still getting used to talking to Adrien everyday, "Oh, Adrien, hi! What's up?"

"So, I took your advice with that girl, and it doesn't seem to be working."

"Oh, really?" she tried to extinguish the part of her that was happy about this, "What makes you think that?"

"So, I toned it down a little like you said I should, but that only seemed to make her think something was wrong," he sighed. 

She thought for a moment, "How well does this girl know you?"

"Oh, really well, but not well at all. I mean, she only really knows a part of me. The more ridiculous part, I guess..."

"I'm sure you're not ridiculous," she said, "but if you want to get with this girl, she needs to accept every part of you, even the more 'ridiculous' side." Marinette kind of wished she could see that side of him, but at this rate, that won't happen for years. It took her this long just to get to speaking to him without stuttering (which is still a victory, but Marinette wanted more.) 

She wondered who this girl was that was just clueless to how such an amazing and kind boy was in love with her. Marinette never pried to try and figure out this mystery girl's identity. Frankly, she didn't want to know at all. (If Alya knew about this situation, she would joke about Marinette going crazy and stealing her phone to sabotage the whole opperation (to which Marinette would rebuttle that she only did that twice and did not plan on doing that again,) but Alya didn't know. Marinette knew she would be strongly against it.) Marinette bet that Adrien's crush was some kind of model that Marinette was no competition for. She must be pretty great if Adrien showed a side of himself that no one else has seen to her knowledge. Maybe one day she'll be close enough to know every part of her soulmate, even if he is in love with someone else (as much as the mere thought of that felt like a sucker punch to the heart.)

"I guess," Adrien sat down in his usual seat in defeat, "I just don't know what to do!"

Marinette chuckled, "Adrien, you've only tried one thing."

"You mean, you've got another plan?"

"Well...not yet," she admitted, "but let me see what I come up with. H-how about you come over to the bakery later--to talk strategy of course?" She didn't know why she was so nervous to ask Adrien to the bakery its not like it was a date or anything. She constantly had to remind herself that she was supposed to be setting him up with someone else. It was just her luck that the only way Marinette could get close to Adrien was by setting him up with another girl. Why was she doing this again?

Adrien's face lit up, "I would love to! Let me just ask Nathalie." Right. That's why.

"Great!" Now she just had to warn her parents (and pray they won't do anything terribly embarrassing while he is over.) They knew the whole story of Marinette's soulmate predicament. Tom wasn't all for the idea. He didn't want his little girl getting hurt, but Sabine believed everything will work out in the end. Marinette really hoped her mother is right.

"Hey, man," Nino entered the classroom, "Why do you look so happy?"

"I'm going over Marinette's later!" Adrien answered.

Nino gave Alya a look that said "What's going on here?" Alya shrugged and then looked at Marinette and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Marinette groaned and covered her definitely red face in her hands. I guess she'll have to tell Alya what's going on eventually (minus the soulmates part.) Of course their friends would misunderstand she and Adrien's sudden friendship. She was not looking forward to that conversation (as if this whole situation didn't hurt enough.) Meanwhile, Adrien continued smiling to himself, blissfully unaware of the out-of-context implications of their situation.

 

"Mama, Papa, I'm home!" Marinette called as she entered the bakery door, "and--uh--Adrien's here."

There was a crash from the bakery kitchen. Then, a muffled remark from Tom, and a "shhhh" from Sabine before they both emerged behind the bakery counter with huge smiles pasted on their faces (though Tom's looked very forced.) So much for her parents not being embarassing. 

"Hi, honey," Sabine said, "Nice to see you again, Adrien."

Adrien didn't seem to notice anything was off, "Nice to see you too, Mrs. Cheng. And Mr. Dupain."

Tom's smile looked pained now, as Sabine gave him a swift elbow to the side, reminding him to speak. Marinette wanted to die.

Tom cleared his throat, "Hi, Adrien."

"Well, nice to see you guys," Marinette said hastily, "but we have some homework to do, so we'll be upstairs if you need us!" She practically dragged Adrien towards the stairs before anything else could be said.

"Your parents are great," Adrien remarked as he sat down at the kitchen table.

Marinette sighed, "Yeah, but they can get pretty embarassing sometimes."

"But that's how parents are supposed to be, right?"

Marinette froze. She had a feeling that was a geniune question, that he didn't actually know what good parents are supposed to be like. Gabriel Agreste didn't strike her as the warm-hearted, embarass-his-child-when-their-crush-is-over type, and Marinette had always been too afraid to ask what happened to Adrien's mother. She suddenly realized how luck she was.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Adrien changed the subject.

"So about my...predicament."

"Right," her heart sunk, "do you want to explain to me what happened?"

"Okay, so I took your advice and stopped flirting with her--"

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Marinette interrupted, "I did not tell you to completely stop flirting with her. Just to stop being so...theatrical. You still have to show her your interested."

"Oh," Adrien knitted his brow, "What if I only know how to flirt 'theatrically?' I mean that always seems to work in the movies..."

Marinette was suddenly reminded that Adrien had been homeschooled for most of his life. He probably only knew flirting from the movies and TV shows he'd watched as a kid. 

_He's such a dork_ , she thought. Somehow this made her love him more.

"Well, unfortunately life isn't a movie," she tried to hide her amusment, but this was kind of ridiculous.

Adrien groaned, "I'm hopeless, aren't I?"

"No!" she said, "You just need a different source of flirting inspiration."

"Like who?" he asked, though it came out muffled because he'd put is head down on the table in defeat.

She thought for a moment, "Maybe Nino?"

He lifted his head enough to show his look of disbelief. Marinette remembered how Nino was almost as terrible around her when he had a crush on her as she was around Adrien.

"I don't know. You don't know anyone else who's experienced?"

He laughed dryly, "There's no way I'm asking my dad. That would be humiliating."

This was going to be harder than Marinette anticipated. She'd hoped it would only a be a few-day-long affair, but apparently not. Great, what's she going to do now? Get closer to Adrien? Fall more in love with Adrien the closer he got to this other girl? Maybe her father was right. This was a terrible idea.

"Wait!" Adrien shot up out of his chair like he just figured everything out, "Why don't I try my flirting out you? You're a girl! You can critique my flirting!"

_Nope. No way. This is a terrible idea. This is the worst idea that anyone has ever had ever._

But she couldn't stop herself from saying, "Sure," because that may be the only way he'll ever talk to her that way, and she wanted to experience that even if it was fake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ouch.
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr  
> @plaggplz for progress updates and other fun miraculous things!


	4. Unbelievably Stupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette realizes the error of her ways. Chat thinks he's ready to confess his love for Ladybug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The inspiration is just flowing this weekend. Here's another chapter!

If anyone asked Marinette what her own personal hell was a few few weeks ago, she may have said losing her miraculous to Hawk Moth or losing her design abilities is a tragic accident (if that's even possible.) She never would have guessed that in a few short weeks her version of hell would be a boy flirting with her.

But not just any boy. It was her soulmate flirting with her. Badly. Oh, so very badly. He's as terrible as Chat Noir: all puns and theatrical chivalry. She was beginning to think that Chat's one of Adrien's inspirations.

Speaking of Chat, he's gone back to normal. Actually, he's past normal. The amount of cat puns and cheesy pick up lines has nearly doubled, but she doesn't really mind them all that much anymore. In fact, sometimes they actually worked on her when they reminded her of one of Adrien's lines he'd used on her in her kitchen. A few times, she even thought of great comebacks. However, she'd only actually said one aloud, because Chat got so shocked afterwards he could hardly speak to her for the rest of the night. The rest she'd been stockpiling to use on Adrien in hopes to get him as flustered as he always made her. She could never actually find the words in the moment with Adrien, though.

"Marinette, I think I'm getting better at this!" Adrien said one Wednesday afternoon, "She flirted back the other day I think!"

"That's good!" she lied. She was always lying to him. She's such a hypocrite.

Adrien looked determined, "I think I'm gonna confess soon."

"Okay," she said, "Good luck!" She didn't know what else to say. Part of her was glad that this was almost over. The pain in her chest has been almost excruciating whenever she reminds herself that he's not after her. That he's only pretending to flirt with her. He once thanked her for acting like the flirting was working on her. He said it was good to have a convincing reaction. Marinette was amazed she was able to hold back her tears until he left.

Of course, another part of her never wanted it to end, as if she could convince him to fall in love with her instead if she just spent a little more time with him. But she was overall sick of pretending. She was done pretending that Adrien wanted her. That she was okay with just being his friend while he was with someone else. That she was okay at all.

"You mean, you're not gonna help me with the confession?"

_Oh no._

"Y-you want to...practice the confession...on me?"

He smiled, "Well, yeah. You've helped me so much with the flirting practice. I figured you can help make sure I don't say something stupid and ruin it for myself. You've been such a great friend, Marinette."

Ah, there it was, the worst "f" word in Marinette opinion for that moment. It was like a slap in the face. She realized suddenly how stupid she'd been. What had she expected to come from this? Did she think it would end up going well? Of course she did! Adrien was her soulmate. They were meant to be together. Of course, she'd forgotten that soulmates aren't such an important part of everyone's world. She'd forgotten how many happily married non-soulmate couples she'd seen. She'd forgotten Romeo and Juliet and lesson at school that had started this whole thing, how they were together, but not for long. She realized this was probably the only "together" she'll get with her soulmate: him pretending to flirt with her in her kitchen while she kid herself that it was real. How could she have been so unbelievably stupid?

"I can't help you anymore," she said suddenly, desperately trying to keep her tone even.

Adrien's smile dropped, "W-what?"

There was that look that she wanted to prevent when she agreed to this in the first place. She would've done anything to see his dazzling smile, but she now realized she couldn't. Not when that smile was for someone else.

"I'm sorry. I never should've--" she headed towards the trap door to her room, "I'm suddenly not feeling very well--uh-- good luck with your confession." Her voice was noticeably choked up now, and Adrien looked so hurt and confused... She couldn't stand to look at him anymore. She ran upstairs, muttering another apology before shutting the door and collapsing on her bed.

Tikki gently caressed her hair as she let out a sob. It wasn't long before her parents came up. They probably saw Adrien's face as he left. They looked like they saw this coming, but she didn't care. She should've saw this coming. She was so unbelievably stupid.

 

She avoided Adrien's eye the entire next day. He kept trying to talk to her at school, but she couldn't. She knew he had no idea what was going on, but she couldn't bring herself to make up an excuse yet... Or she could tell him the truth, but she had a feeling that would just make everything worse. Alya sensed something was up, but she didn't pry. She trusted that Marinette would tell her eventually.

She couldn't bring herself to skip patrol that night, as much as she was sure that Chat's flirting would only remind her of Adrien, she needed some distraction.

She touched down on the roof of their regular meeting place. Chat was pacing back and forth nervously. What's going on?

"You okay, kitty?" she asked.

He jumped, "My Lady! You can't sneak up on me like that."

"I wasn't sneaking," she laughed, "You seem pretty out of it. Something on your mind?"

"I don't get girls," he said plainly.

"What?"

"I have this friend in my civilian life--"

Ladybug opened her mouth protest him talking about life outside of their superhero-selves.

"I'll keep it general. I promise," he said.

She bit her lip, "Okay."

"Well, this friend...that's a girl. She's been, uh, tutoring me for...something, but she recently told me she had to stop without giving a reason. She looked really sad, and I just don't know what I did."

Ladybug gulped. That hit a little too close to home. They seem to be going through similar situations.  Just with the roles reversed.  What a coincidence.

"Well, I don't know exactly what's going on," she started, "but I--I'm sure she'll come around eventually." Would she come around eventually? Would she ever be able to talk to Adrien again? She wasn't so sure in that moment.

He sighed, "I really hope so..."

They both sat in silence for a moment, watching the sun set through the Eiffel Tower. It did serve as a nice distraction for Marinette. Even if it was just for a moment, she was glad she came, sitting there with her most trusted partner and friend with no strings visible to distract her.  She wondered if she would've given Chat a chance if she could never see the strings.  She probably would, but unfortunately, that's not her reality.  Once she detransforms, the strings will be back in her view, blinding her to any possibility of dating anyone else but Adrien.  Sometimes, she really wished she liked Chat Noir instead.

"But that's not all I wanted to talk about, My Lady," he broke the silence.

"Oh?" she turned to give him her full attention.

"I was just wondering how things were going with that guy," he said quickly enough that she almost didn't catch it.

Ladybug's eyes widened. _When did I mention anything about a guy?_

"That guy you said might be your soulmate?" he added.

Right. They talked about soulmates once. Before any of the Adrien stuff happened. That seemed like forever ago, while it had maybe been a month at most.

She looked down, "Um, I don't think that's gonna work out."

"Oh," he said, "Cool. I mean--not cool. Um, I'm sorry, My Lady. I was just wondering if maybe sometime if you're free you would want to maybe...go out--"

"Don't," she stopped him, "Please." She couldn't deal with this. Not now. Not ever. She didn't want to hurt him, but that was just inevitable.  She'd probably hurt him countless times without realizing.

"But My Lady--"

She cleared her throat, "It's just, uh, it's kind of a recent wound. Things with 'Soulmate Guy,' I mean."

"Oh," he looked so heartbroken, "I...understand."

"Kitty," he winced at her nickname for him, "I'm so sorry."

"We should probably patrol now," he sounded choked up. It killed her that she made him feel this way, the way she'd been feeling a lot lately, "I think we should split up tonight...'

"Chat--"

"I'll be fine next time I see you. I promise," he expanded his baton, "Just--uh--not now. Don't worry. I'll get over it." And with that he was gone.

Marinette is sure she would've cried if she had any tears left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoooo Boy. I'm sorry.


	5. Three for Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya and Nino convince Marinette to talk to Adrien, but Chloe's interruption somehow makes everything worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! I hope you like it! Thanks for all of your feedback and support <3 Also, I have like half of chapter 6 done already, so it shouldn't be that long of a wait ;)

Marinette felt terrible.  She somehow screwed things up with not one, but two boys she really cared about in the last few days.  She hadn’t spoken to Adrien in almost a week, and she hadn’t had a chance to see Chat since their last patrol.  For once, she was almost wishing for an akuma.  She really hoped her partner would be alright, but being that she wasn’t exactly alright over Adrien, she wasn’t so sure that Chat would be as soon as he said he would.

"Ugh," she slumped into her seat.  Adrien wasn't in school yet.  Maybe, he had a photoshoot today and wasn't coming in.  That would make it much easier to avoid him.

"Rough morning?" Alya said only half joking.

Marinette looked at her through her bangs, "You have no idea..."  She still hadn’t had the chance to tell Alya everything, (her best friend has been busy piecing together why Chat and Ladybug looked so tense during their last patrol,) but that would be remedied soon.

Alya hesitated, "So, what happened between you and Adrien? You seemed like you were getting close before a few days ago.  You two weren't like...a _thing_ were you?"

"Nope," she answered, "quite the opposite.  I was actually helping set him up with another girl!"

Alya and Nino looked at each other concerned.

"And the best part is, I think it worked," she said not really caring how unhinged she sounded, “He doesn’t need me anymore.”

"Marinette," Alya said gently, "why would you do that?"

"Because I'm an idiot,” but she was sure her friends already knew that by now.

Alya shook her head, "I'm sorry you put yourself through that, girl, but you have to talk to Adrien."

"Please," Nino added, "he's been a wreck trying to figure out what he did to get you to stop talking to him."  She didn't know why she was shocked to hear this news. She knew that Adrien didn't have many friends. Of course, he would be upset when she abruptly stopped talking to him after he thanked her for her friendship.  She mentally added this to the list of reasons Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the most awful human being on the planet (after Chloe.)

"I--" she started.  Then, Adrien walked in.  He looked exhausted. His hair was, for once, not perfect.  His outfit was mismatched as if he’d just put on the first things he could grab, and Marinette noticed his eyes were a bit puffy, but maybe she was just imagining it.  There was a pang of guilt in her stomach from the possibility that she could be the reason why.

"Hey, man," Nino said.

"Hey," Adrien yawned, "I overslept."

"We figured," Alya said.

Marinette stared at her hands on the desk in front of her.

Alya nudged her, "Talk." 

"Adrien," she willed herself to look at him to meet his sad, green eyes, "We should probably talk." _No matter how much it hurt._

Adrien didn’t miss a beat. "I confessed," he blurted out as if this was the last chance he would ever get to talk to her, "to that girl."

She gave a small smile, "That's great! I knew you could do it."

"She rejected me."

Alya and Nino gave looks of pity. Marinette's eyes widened. She didn’t get it.  Adrien had been so sure that his flirting was working.  She thought that his crush had flirted back. What happened?

"She likes someone else," Adrien continued, "her soulmate, she says."

"Oh," was all Marinette could come up with.  Poor Adrien lost two people recently, just like she did.

"See that's the problem with this whole 'soulmate' idea," Alya ranted, "It gets into people's heads, so they don't notice when a great guy is right in front of them!"

"Why don't you just date Adrien then," Nino mumbled under his breath.  Alya responded with a dirty look.  Apparently, Nino and Alya are as far from getting together as ever.  Marinette planned to work on that.

Adrien sighed, "I just really thought this was gonna work."

Marinette bit her lip.  She didn't know how to feel about this.  One part of her wanted to jump for joy because Adrien was still available. Another just wanted to fix this for him, if only to see that golden smile of his again.  But she wasn't going to either of those things. Instead, she would sit here and wish that she hadn't screwed things up so badly, which even she knew wasn’t the best thing to do in this situation, but nothing good had come from her actions as of late, so this is what she was going with.

Luckily, Adrien still had Nino to comfort him.  He pat Adrien on the back and said, "It'll be alright, man.  You'll find your soulmate soon enough"

"Soulmate?" Chloe barged into their conversation, "I didn't know you wanted to find your soulmate, Adrikins!  You should've just asked me."  More people were beginning to filter into the classroom, Chloe included.  Of course, she would overhear their conversation.  Marinette braced herself for what Chloe would say to somehow make everything worse.

Adrien was taken aback, "What?"

"You know I can see the strings," Chloe stage whispered, making sure everybody could hear her anyway.

Yup, this was definitely making things worse.  Marinette was sure she’d had a nightmare about this a few times.  There was always a slightly different ending, whether Adrien believed her or someone became akumatized. It never ended well.  Maybe the universe would give her break this time?  It’s been a hard week.

"Y-you can?" Adrien said, baffled.

Chloe scoffed, "Of course I can!  I would never lie to my best friend." 

Nino sneered at this, and Adrien almost looked like he was going to correct her, but thought better of it.

"That's bullshit!" Alya said, bringing the whole class’s attention to their situation.

Chloe ignored her, "Of course, I've kept it to myself for all these years, 'cause I didn't know you cared about that kind of thing.  I didn't care so much when Marinette mismatched all of these other losers, but I can't watch her mismatch you, Adrikins."

Marinette clenched her fist, willing herself to keep quiet.  As much as she wanted to expose Chloe for the liar that she was, this was not the subject to lose her temper about, even if Chloe had just personally insulted her.  She had a secret to keep (and she learned her lesson with exposing people after the Volpina incident.)

"So, you can tell me who my soulmate is?" Adrien raised an eyebrow, seeming a bit unsure about all this (which Marinette was grateful for.)

"Duh," Chloe bopped his nose, "I've known for years!  It's been so hard keeping it a secret this long,” she took a dramatic pause, even though anyone could guess where this was going, “You’re my soulmate!"

Marinette rolled her eyes. _Really?_ she though, _We must be seeing different strings, 'cause I could've sworn your soulmate is Nathanael._

Her silent laughter was interrupted by the sudden feeling that someone was watching her, and by someone, she meant everyone.  The whole class was looking at her like she’d just grown six heads, except for Adrien, whose expression was unreadable, and Chloe, whose face was as red as her soulmate's hair, her expression absolutely murderous.

Marinette had the sudden realization she might have said that out loud.  Seems like she hadn’t needed Chloe to make things worse.  Marinette could do that herself!

 _This couldn’t be happening_ , she though, _This is a nightmare_.  She did not just reveal one of her biggest secret to her whole class.  She pinched herself, hoping to wake up.  No such luck.  This was now her reality. 

"Um," Marinette laughed nervously, "I mean, 'What? Soulmates aren't real.'"

No one found it amusing, however.  Everyone was still in shock.  Marinette started to panic.

"You're lying," Chloe finally said, "obviously.  I would never end up with Nathanael." She said his name as if it was poison.  Meanwhile, Nath was hiding under his desk.  Poor guy.  Marinette always assumed that their relationship wouldn't come to be until adulthood, hopefully after Chloe grew out of her petty nastiness, but there was Marinette, ruining things yet again. (She's three for three!)

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Marinette attempted to make her escape towards the door, but Sabrina was quicker.  Looks like she’d have to face this problem head on.

"Oh, no you don't," Chloe called after, "You're not leaving until you admit you're a liar!"

Marinette took a deep breath, trying to slow her now speedy heartbeat.  She was trying not to panic, but that was very difficult when her whole class was staring at her and there was no way to escape, “ _I’m_ not the one who’s lying.”

“Yes, you are,” Chloe said, “You have to be!  There’s no way you’re special enough to be able to see the strings!”

“Marinette, is this true?” Alya asked looking slightly hurt and very confused.  Marinette knew she had every right to be. Alya was her best friend.  They were supposed to tell each other everything.

Marinette felt tears coming, so she only nodded.

“Oh,” Alya said before the whole classes plunged into uncomfortable silence.  Marinette really wished she could leave, but now both Chloe and Sabrina were in front of the door.  She knew she could just push them out of the way if she really wanted to, but she guessed that only would’ve made things even worse. So, instead, she stood in front of the class, using all of her energy to keep herself from falling apart.  Too many things had gone wrong too quickly, and she knew it was all her fault.  Her life was on a downward spiral, and she had no idea what she could do to make things better again. 

“If you can see the strings,” Chloe broke the silence obviously not finished torturing Marinette, “why couldn’t you help Adrien find his soulmate?”

Adrien looked like he wanted to know the answer as well, his expression guarded.

Unfortunately, Marinette didn’t have a good answer for this.  She could help Adrien find his soulmate.  He kind of already had, but she wasn’t who he wanted her to be.

“I don’t know,” she muttered.

“You don’t know?!” Chloe scoffed, “Who Adrien’s soulmate is? Because I’m pretty sure you know.  You just wanted him for himself.”

“Chloe,” Adrien warned.

Chloe ignored him, walking right up to Marinette, “So why don’t you tell us who Adrien really should be with, Marinette.  You obviously don’t like it, or you just would’ve just set them up together.”

“You don’t know anything about this,” Marinette said trying to keep her voice steady. She wasn’t ready to tell Adrien who his soulmate was.  This could not be the way he found out.

“Tell him!” Chloe shouted, “Don’t you think he deserves to know.  You’re such good _friends_ , aren’t you?” 

“Chloe, that’s enough!” Adrien stood up suddenly, “I don’t want to know.”

“Suit yourself,” Chloe huffed finally going to sit in her seat.

Marinette sighed with relief.  Looks like this was all over (for now.)  She smiled at Adrien to show her gratitude, but as soon as they made eye contact, he looked away.  Right, just because Adrien was a good person didn’t mean he wasn’t mad at her.

She made her way back to her seat just as Miss Bustier came in to start the lesson.  Alya wasn’t looking at her either

Marinette took out her phone, despite the school’s rule against it.

**Text to Alya**

**8: 01 A.M.** I’m so sorry.

Marinette watched as her friend looked at the message, thinking that maybe she’d ignore it, but Alya typed something and hit send.

**Text from Alya**

**8:02 A.M.** it’s okay but you still have a lot of explaining to do

Marinette allowed herself to glance at the boy in front of her.  She sure did. She didn’t know how or when, but if she wanted to fix anything, she’d have to start telling the truth.  Hopefully it wouldn’t make things worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, I struggled so much with how to end this chapter. Sorry for the copious amounts of angst, but I can't say I didn't warn you ;)
> 
> Contact me on tumblr: http://plaggplz.tumblr.com


	6. A Shocking Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LAST CHAPTER: Marinette tries to make things right with Adrien, but Chloe interrupts and tells Adrien that she's his soulmate. Marinette accidentally tell the whole class about her string-seeing ability. 
> 
> THIS CHAPTER: Marinette finally fills Alya in on what's been going on with Adrien, Marinette's parents find out about their daughter's slip up, and Chat Noir asks Marinette for advice. What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry it's been forever. I wrote three versions of this chapter before I settled on this one, and got super busy moving into college and stuff. Next chapter is already almost done so that's good. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

The rest of the day was awkward for Marinette to say the least. Most of the class had gotten over it (most had even realized it made sense,) but Chloe kept giving her sneers whenever she looked at her, Adrien wouldn't even look at her, and Alya was waiting for her explanation. Marinette hadn't yet worked out what to say to her. 

Right, she was going to tell her the truth. It shouldn't be hard, except she still had a secret superhero identity that she needed to keep. Seemed like telling the truth was harder than she thought. Either way, she seriously needed to tell the whole Adrien story to her best friend. Alya was severely out of the loop to that whole situation. 

It's kind of funny how little Marinette was phased by accidentally revealing her oldest secret. With everything else that went on before that, revealing that she was a seer was the least of her worries. She was sure that she should be more upset by it. Maybe things would be alright after all. Sure, losing Adrien and Chat hurt now, but it wouldn't last forever. Maybe, she'd even be able to fix it, but that would require getting Adrien to look her in the eye again. She didn't know if telling Adrien the truth that she was his soulmate would help or hurt her. She didn't think that now was the correct time. She would only seem desperate after the display Chloe put on that morning. 

Then, it's decided. She would tell him tomorrow. Why do today what can be put off ‘til tomorrow? (Marinette decided to ignore that it's supposed to be the other way around.)

Okay, now back to her immediate problem: telling Alya what happened with Adrien.

"So, basically, I was a complete idiot and realized way too late that helping Adrien get with another girl was a horrible idea," She finished the story of her recent misfortune on a park bench during lunch that day.

Alya raised her eyebrows, "Wow, girl. You really screwed that up. You ran away right after he thanked you for your friendship? Ouch."

"I know! Now I don't know how to fix it," Marinette groaned, "I was ready to talk to him this morning, but he hasn't even looked at me since he found out I could see the strings!"

"Marinette, I know this is hard to hear, but Adrien valued your friendship like a lot. Nino says he talked about it all the time. You leaving in that moment crushed him."

"I know, I know. I'm awful!"

Alya chuckled, "Kind of."

"Hey!" Marinette playfully hit her best friend, "This isn't funny! I feel terrible."

"I know you do," Alya said, "And I know you can make it right. Just talk to him!”

“I will…”

“Now, let's talk about soulmates, so there  _ are _ real?"

"Unless my entire life has been a lie..."

"So you’ve let me go on and on about soulmates being bullshit when you knew the whole time?  I guess that explains why you're such a good matchmaker."

Then, they talked about soulmates for the rest of lunch. Alya didn't want Marinette to tell who her soulmate was yet, but Marinette did tell her that she'd already met him. It was actually kind of nice, being able to talk about her ability casually with her best friend. She didn't know why she was so afraid to tell people about her gift before. She felt such a weight off her shoulders (well, half of the weight off of her shoulders) now that this was out in the open. Hooray for honesty!

The school day was over before she knew it, and she was in a way better mood than she had been for a while.  That was until she remembered her parents would probably be mad that she told her secret to everyone at school today. Oh no, they were going to be so disappointed.  They were the ones who wanted her to keep it a secret after all...

"Hey, Mama, Papa?" She said, walking into the bakery.

Sabine came out of the kitchen. “Yes, sweetie?”

“So, I have something to tell you, and you’re not gonna be very happy about it.”

“We’re listening,” Tom said, joining them from behind the counter.

“Okay,” Marinette took a deep breath. “I accidentally told my whole class that I can see the strings.”  Just rip off the bandage.

Her parents just stared at her incredulously.

Marinette cringed, “I’m so sorry!”

“Does Adrien know he’s your soulmate?” Tom asked.

“What?” Marinette was not expecting that to be his initial reaction.

“Well, I’m assuming the boy is part of the reason why you ‘accidentally’ told your whole class,” Tom answered, “Does he know?”

“No.”

“Are you going to tell him?” Sabine asked.

Marinette looked down. “I don’t know.”

Her parents exchanged concerned looks.

“He likes someone else.  I don’t think finding out I’m his soulmate would change that,” she justified.

“But--” Tom began before Sabine put a hand on his arm, quieting him.

“Okay, we trust you, Sweetheart,” Sabine said, “Just know we’re here to talk if you need it.”

Tom added a solemn nod, though he still looked like he had something else he wanted to say.

“Thank you,” Marinette hugged her parents, “I’m gonna go do homework, okay?”

“Alright.  We love you!” Tom called after her as she ran up the stairs.

“Marinette, are you sure you’re okay?” Tikki asked as soon as her parents were out of earshot.

“Not completely, but I think I will be,” Marinette said placing her bookbag on her desk.

Tikki nuzzled up to her cheek, “Okay, I’m glad.”

Marinette had a free afternoon now, so she decided to work on some homework and after that moved on to designing. It was nice to have a relaxing day.

That was until there was a thud from her balcony. Then, there was a knock on the trap door. 

"Marinette," Tikki interrupted her chosen's furious sketching.

Marinette looked at the time, "We still have a half hour before patrol Tikki.”

Oh god, she completely forgot about patrol… Would Chat Noir even show up?  He said he would be fine but...

"No, I think someone's on your balcony,” Tikki said.

"Why would anyone be on my balcony?" Marinette got up and headed up to her loft.

Tikki shrugged, "I don't know... Be careful."

"Be ready in case I need to transform," Marinette opened the trap door slowly. First, she saw a pair of black boots, then, the rest of the leather suit attached to them, "Chat Noir? What are you doing here? Is there an akuma?" The only time she'd encountered Chat Noir as a civilian was when she was in imminent danger. It's not like he just popped onto her balcony whenever he pleased.

"No," He bit his lip. 

"What's up?" This was weird. What was he doing?

"Well…" Chat Noir said, "Actually, nevermind, it's stupid. I shouldn't have come." He grabbed his baton and started to extend it.

"Chat," her voice stopped him in his tracks, "Is everything alright?

He gave a small smile, "Yeah. Just having some girl troubles is all."

Her heart dropped. She'd almost forgotten she'd broken her poor partner's heart, but that didn't explain why he was coming to Marinette for all this.

"Um, does this have anything to do with Ladybug?” as if she didn’t already know.

His smile fell at the mention of her name, "No--well, sort of--I wanna know who my soulmate is."

Marinette was confused. What a coincidence that Chat Noir came to her asking about soulmates on the day her oldest secret was revealed to her class. Did someone tell? And if one of Paris's superheroes knows does that mean all of Paris knows? She was okay with her class knowing, but not everyone in Paris!

"Why are you asking me?" Feigning innocence. Maybe he didn't know. 

He scratches his neck, "Well, word on the street is you can see the strings…" 

_ Shit.  _

"Oh my god, who told you?" 

Chad's eyes widened, "Um, I have a friend in your class. He said you liked to help bring soulmates together." 

"A friend in my class? Who?" Who in her class is personal friends with Chat Noir? Unless Chat just talks to everyone about his girl troubles... 

He leaned back on the balcony railing, "Telling you could compromise my secret identity. But can you help me?" 

She bit her lip, "I don’t know…No one was supposed to know about my--ability, and I don't want--" 

"Please, Marinette. I need to know if I’ve been pursuing the right person, if it's even worth it to try anymore." 

She wanted to say,  _ Of course it is _ . Even just to make him feel better, but she couldn't.

Instead, she said, "I wish I could, but you and Ladybug don't have strings," which wasn't a lie. 

"What? I don't have a soulmate?" His face fell.

"Not necessarily. I'm sure the magic that gives you your powers interferes with is somehow. You know, to keep your identity safe." She tried her best to keep her answer vague, only using terms any civilian would know. She lost one secret today she wasn't going to lose another. 

He thought for a moment, "What if I detransform, then. Behind a wall or something. Then you can let me know…" 

"Isn't that dangerous?" It was dangerous for her to know. God forbid his soulmate was nearby or he was connected to her somehow. Then, she would know his identity, but Marinette couldn't say she wasn't curious. 

"Only if you're my soulmate," he said almost daring her.

Marinette laughed, "Well, I already know my soulmate and it definitely isn't you. My string--" That's when she noticed her string was nowhere to be seen. Where's Adrien? Is he alright? Maybe simply being close to a miraculous was interfering. That had to be it. Unless… 

"Well, okay, don't look," Chat walked behind her chimney. 

"Chat, wait--" but it was too late. A bright green light shined from behind the chimney, and her string came back, connecting to where Chat Noir stood a second ago. 

"No way." 

"Is everything alright, princess?" Chat Noir's voice. Adrien's voice.  _ Her soulmate _ 's voice called from behind the chimney. 

"No way!" 

"What happened?" 

Silence.

"Marinette?"

She squeaked, "Everything's fine Adrien--I mean Chat Noir!!" 

She did not just say that. That couldn't have actually come out of her mouth.

"What did you say?" He froze, "How did you know?" 

And just when she was beginning to think things were getting better.

"You need to go now!" She said. 

Adrien walked out from behind the pillar it was startling to see her soulmate where Chat Noir should be, especially since she had just turned him down because she was hung up over his civilian self, "How did you know who I am?" 

"Uh--lucky guess?" There's no use even trying to be convincing. She was completely and terrible caught. 

"Wait, are you my soulmate?" 

Marinette couldn't look him in the eye. This is not how this was supposed to go down. She didn’t know how it was supposed to happen, but definitely not like this. 

"You are, aren't you?" 

She knew there was no use trying to hide it anymore, "Yes." 

Adrien stayed quiet for a while, deep in thought as she assumed he was processing everything. She watched as a multitude of emotions registered on his face, none of them looked very positive.

“So, you’ve known the whole time?” he said finally, looking betrayed. This isn’t what she wanted.

“Yes.”

“But you helped set me up with someone else.”

“I know.” 

“Even though you knew it would never work out," he wasn't asking anymore.  He stated it as fact.

"It could've worked out," she said.

He laughed, though it had no humor in it, "Oh, really?

“I didn’t know it was Ladybug you were talking about,” she said quietly.

“Why does that matter?”

He had no idea how much that mattered, “I guess it doesn’t.  I’m just trying to put the pieces together.”

He scoffed, “Why?”

“I just finally realize why you wouldn’t tell me who it was I was setting you up with.  You didn’t even know who she is,” she sighed.

“I know Ladybug!”

“Do you really?”  she taunted, “You don’t know anything about her besides the fact that she’s your superhero partner.  Hell, she could sit right behind you in class and you never would know it!”  She

He froze, “What are you implying?”

“Nothing, it doesn’t matter.”

“Jeez, Marinette,”  he said, “Are you trying to say you’re Ladybug? Because how am I supposed to believe that? You’ve lied to me.  Pushed me away for no reason.  Friends aren’t supposed to keep things from each other!”

“And I suppose Nino knows you’re Chat Noir? Or Chloe?  I don’t think so! That’s kind of the nature of secret identities.”

“That’s different,” he huffed.

She shook her head, “Oh yeah? So, if I told you we were soulmates right when you asked me to set you up with Ladybug, you would’ve reacted positively?  You would have believed me?” She shameless changed the subject away from her dangerous implication.

“Maybe!  We could’ve work through it then.  Figured out what to do with that information, but now I guess we’ll never know,” he turned away from her, “You didn’t tell me and now everything is a hundred times worse than it would’ve been.  God, no wonder Ladybug pushed me away. She probably already knew her soulmate!”

Well, he wasn’t wrong, except turns out  _ he _ was her soulmate all along.

“I’m sorry,” she said.  She wasn’t sure if she was apologizing as Ladybug or herself.  Definitely both.

“It’s a little late for that, isn’t it?” He turned back to her.

The worst part was, he was right.  It was awful of her to help set him up with Ladybug when she already knew it wouldn't work out, even if Ladybug happens to be his soulmate as well.  The rational part of her knew that, but Marinette was also stubborn and frankly, a little pissed off at the whole universe for sticking her in such a complicated situation that would've been so simple if they didn't have secret identities.

“Then, I don’t know what you want me to do!  This sucks!” she cried, “God, I know this sucks, but I didn’t choose you as my soulmate, and you obviously didn’t choose me.  I’m sorry fate stuck us together, but frankly soulmates end up with other people all of the time, so be with whoever you want! I’m sorry if I’m not who you were expecting.” She clenched her teeth, angry at the fact that she was so close to crying.  She crossed her arms in attempt to hold herself together, but the dams had been breached. Tears began falling and there was no way to stop them.  The worst had happened, and there was no way for her to fix this. 

He almost looked guilty, “Marinette--”

“What?  Just go! Be with someone else. I don’t care anymore,” she cried.

He just stood there not quite sure what to do. 

“Though, I don’t think Ladybug is going to change her mind,” she muttered bitterly.  She knew it was a low blow.  Especially since Ladybug would’ve changed her mind if this whole reveal had gone better, but she resented how calm he seemed while she was falling apart.  He shouldn’t be holding it together.

His jaw dropped.  Then, he took a deep breath and said, “Well, I don’t think I am either.” And with that, he turned and left. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that could have gone better...
> 
> Yell at me on tumblr @plaggplz


	7. The Day After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette skips school. Ladybug and Chat Noir are very out of sync, and Alya finds out who her soulmate is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! It's my birthday, so I put some time aside to finish off this chapter hope you like it!
> 
> Also, thanks so much for all the comments on last chapter! Even if I don't respond I read and cherish every one!

"Girl, where the hell are you?" Alya whispered in the phone as soon as Marinette picked up. 

"I'm not really feeling up to school today.  I was up all night," she answered.  

"You're always up all night." 

"Well, I just didn't want to go today, okay?" Marinette felt bad for snapping, but Alya didn't know the half of it.  With the events of past few days, Marinette was so emotionally drained .  Plus, she could never face Adrien after last night.  She should probably move her seat when she gets back. 

"Oh, Marinette.  We talked about this yesterday. No one is mad at you about the soulmate thing." 

"Except Adrien." 

"Well, I told you he’d come around if you just talked to him." 

_ Yeah, that went well… _

“It’s complicated.”

“Yeah, right.  You guys are soulmates, right? Things will work out.”

Marinette laughed, "You didn’t even believe in soulmates before yesterday." 

"I didn't, but I believe in you and Adrien as much as I believe that Ladybug and Chat Noir will get together someday." 

_ Ouch. _

“Right,” she said before quickly changing the subject, “And you’re sure you don’t want to know who your soulmate is?”

“I’m kind of scared.  I think I have an idea and I don’t like it.”

"Oh, please.  You’ve liked Nino for months!" 

“Wait, it is Nino?!”

“I can’t help but notice you did not deny having a crush on him just now.”

"Ew, no! Please tell me you're joking." 

Marinette laughed harder. 

"OH MY GOD, MARINETTE! TELL ME." 

"Oh, was that the bell I heard.  You should really get going.  Don't let me be a distraction…" 

"MARINETTE, I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU HANG UP--" 

Click. 

Marinette sighed.  Now, she had the morning to herself to wallow in the aftermath of yesterday's events.   

"Now, come on, Marinette," Tikka nuzzled her cheek, "Things won’t get better with you and Adrien avoiding each other." 

She sighed, “I know, Tikki.  It’s just I’ve been such a jerk to him.  I wouldn’t even know where to begin apologizing.  Besides, I don’t even know if he wants me to even try fixing this.”

“Well, you’ll never know if you don’t try.”

Her voice broke, “I’m just terrified I’ve broken things beyond repair…” 

She knew her kwami was right.  She shouldn’t wait to fix this, but what if she somehow makes it worse.  How will he react when he finds out that she was Ladybug the whole time?  She knew she needed to tell him as soon as possible, but she wasn’t sure if it would make things better or worse.

Tikki nuzzled up to her cheek, “Oh, Marinette.  You know Adrien is kind above all else.  I’m sure he’ll at least be willing to try.”

“I hope you’re right, Tikki, but I’m just not ready to see him today.”

Suddenly, there were screams in the distance. 

"Not an akuma..." she groaned. 

Looks like she'll have to see him after all.

Well, here goes nothing. 

"Tikki, spots on!" 

* * *

 

"Ugh, why isn't this working?" Ladybug groaned as her third attempt at lucky charm failed.  She had to detransform so Tikki could recharge.  She couldn't remember a time where an Akuma attack lasted this long. 

Of course, it had everything to do with how noticeably out of sync Paris's superhero duo were.  Chat Noir was distracted, ladybug had to pretend that she didn't know why while simultaneously trying to keep her own issues with the situation inside.  They were a mess.   

"What's wrong.  Little Ladybug isn't so lucky anymore?" The Akuma, Ice Queen, narrowly missed her with her next attack.  An icicle scraped the side of her face. 

Ladybug's earrings beeped.  

"Gotta go." She ran to the nearest alleyway.  Leaving Chat alone for the third time to detransform. 

"Marinette, you need to focus.  You can't win this if you can't put last night behind you for a little while," Tikki scolded. 

"That's easier said than done when I have to fight with Adrien! Now eat up,"  she dug through the her bag to find some cookies, "Uh oh, I'm all out of cookies. We don't usually need this much in a day!  I need to go to the bakery."  

"Be careful, Marinette," Tikki flew into her purse. 

Okay, now just get the cookies and get back to fighting, she thought, right here.  Left there.  It's right down the block now-- 

"Marinette!" A voice cried out behind her just as an icicle whizzed past her left ear. 

She turned around to see another fleet of icicles coming right towards.  She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact... 

...but it never came.  She suddenly found herself in Chat Noir's arms, being carried to the bakery. Wait... Chat Noir saved her?  As Marinette? Well, it's good that even after last night's events he didn't want her dead. 

"Marinette, what were thinking just walking out in the open like that?" He said sternly as he dropped her on her balcony, "You could've gotten hurt! You could've died!" 

She was stunned for a moment, “Y-you saved me?”

A moment of realization passed on his face, almost as if he just remembered he wasn’t talking to her, before collecting himself, "Well,  I wouldn't be a very good hero if I just let a civilian get hurt.  Don't think you're getting special treatment." 

If it were possible for Marinette's heart to break anymore, it would have. She had never seen him look so much like his father. He was never going to forgive her, was he?

"Thank you for making that clear."   

Adrien's angry expression faltered, so that she could see a hint of guilt in his eyes.  It almost seemed as though he regretted what he said. 

* * *

 

They did eventually get it together enough to cleanse the Akama.  Marinette attributed it to her wanting to get away from Chat as soon as possible.  

They were both so exhausted that their usual fist bump was more of a gentle tap.

“Good job, My Lady,” he gave one of Adrien’s fake model smiles.  His cat ears drooped regardless.

“It wasn’t that good, kitty,” She felt awful using such a fond nickname.  He didn’t know he was talking to Marinette under the mask, “but we’ll be better next time.”

“Yeah,” his smile faltered slightly.

“Everything alright?” she asked even though she already knew the answer.

He shook his head, “You know me too well, My Lady. I’ve definitely been better.”

She would’ve asked him if he wanted to talk about, but it felt wrong given the circumstances.  She already knew what was bothering him and she was the one who caused it.

“Hey, Chat?” she said instead.

“Yes, Bugaboo?” 

“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about what happened on last patrol.  I know it takes a lot of courage to confess your feelings for someone.  I shouldn’t have shot you down like that. I really do value your friendship, and I hope that you can forgive me.”

He hugged her suddenly, “Oh, Ladybug. Of course I forgive you!  You’re my best friend, and nothing’s going to change that.”

Guilt twisted in her stomach.  She knew of something that would change that.  Not to mention how she acted the exact opposite way when Adrien unknowingly rejected her those few weeks ago.  Why couldn’t she have just been grateful for his friendship?  Maybe, things would have ended up differently, then.

Her miraculous beeped.

“I better go, Kitty,” she squeezed him tight a little selfishly before letting go.

His ears dropped even lower, “Of course.”

“I’ll see you at patrol!”

“See ya!”

* * *

She got home just in time for her transformation to wear off when she touched down on her balcony.  She climbed into her bed, and took a deep breath.  At least, Adrien was angry with Ladybug anymore. Marinette was another story.  God, what was she going to do when he finds out she was Ladybug?

She groaned into her pillow.

"Marinette!" Alya yelled as she came through the trapdoor leading to Marinette's room, "I can't believe you were in Chat Noir's arms today!  He saved you! That's so cool.  You need to tell me everything!" 

_ Oh, great, _ she thought,  _ this is just what I need right now.  _

"It was nothing, Alya.  He was just doing his job," she dismissed. 

"But you both were M.I.A. for quite a while.  Did he say anything to you?" 

"No," she lied as if Chat's words hadn't been echoing in her head since she heard them, "He just put me down, told me to be more careful, and left." 

"Well, okay," she said with a concerned look on her face, "So, how are you holding up?" 

"Oh, I'm just fabulous!" She said sarcastically. 

"Well, I brought comfort food, so let's eat your problems away!" Alya said taking various fatty foods from her backpack. 

Marinette was so grateful for her best friend. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr @plaggplz

**Author's Note:**

> I'm also on tumblr:  
> macaronize.tumblr.com  
> & on my specifically ML blog plaggplz.tumblr.com


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